Saxon
Saxon (1124 - unknown) was a male mouse, a member of the Mouse Guard and one of the most accomplished swordsmice the Guard ever inducted. Saxon was notorious amongst his fellow Guardmice for his fiery will and stubborn nature. A firm believer in solving problems with the sharp end of his sword, he preferred to enter open combat with an enemy, rather than negotiate or flee. Saxon's experience as a Guardmouse allowed him the possibility of being promoted to the rank of Patrol Leader; an offer which he declined, choosing instead to remain as a Patrol Guard under the leadership of his good friend Kenzie.Mouse Guard Official Website Following his second return from Darkheather during the winter of 1152, Saxon successfully proposed to the Guard's matriarch Gwendolyn. Biography Early Life :Saxon was born in the year 1124, to Gill and Anne of the southern mouse-settlement of Flintrust. As a child, Saxon was obsessed with fighting and often carried with him a wooden sword; which he practised with to hone his skills as a fighter. :At the age of seven, Saxon attended a puppet show in the nearby town of Oakgrove with his father. The show, The Tale of Baldwin the Brave, demonstrated to Saxon how a mouse could use confidence and skill with a weapon to win a wife and fend off predators. Saxon took the lesson to heart, and joined the Guard at a later date. Under the tutelage of the Guardmouse Loukas, Saxon became one of the greatest swordsmice the Guard ever knew.The Tale of Baldwin the Brave Life as a Guardmouse Winter War of 1149 :During the Winter War of 1149, Saxon and his friend Kenzie enlisted the help of a promising young mouse named Lieam, and inducted him into the Guard as their Tenderpaw. Their efforts as mentors later paid off when Lieam was promoted to the rank of Guardmouse based on his service in the brutal fighting. Lockhaven Conspiracy :During the fall of 1152, Saxon - alongside his fellow Guardmice Kenzie and Lieam - was tasked by Gwendolyn to track down a missing merchant who had become lost on the road between Rootwallow and Barkstone. After finding only the missing mouse's cart, and with night approaching, the three elected to make camp and continue the search in the morning. Rising early, Saxon explored the immediate area around the cart, happening across a trail of grain. :Rising Kenzie, the two then followed the trail to a large ditch in the ground, at which point they were joined by Lieam. Before they could investigate further, however, the trio was ambushed by a full grown milk snake. After evading the serpent, Saxon saw some snake eggs in the pit, jumped down and smashed the eggs. After Lieam killed the snake, Saxon it cut open. He was disgusted to learn that the merchant was a traitor. :The three mice traveled to Barkstone to investigate. Saxon briefly went into a glassblower and wood carver. Realising that he and his friends were being watched, Saxon began to duel Kenzie as a diversion to allow Lieam to slip away. The Axe Army soon came, tied up Saxon and Kenzie and left them outside the city gates. :They were soon found by Celanawe who took them to his house for interrogation. Saxon chewed through his bonds and tackled the hermit with his paws still tied, until Kenzie convinces Celanawe that they are not his enemy. Battle of Lockhaven :As Celanawe accompanies Saxon and Kenzie to Lockhaven, Saxon is skeptical that the old mouse is the bearer of the Black Axe. Kenzie reveals a hidden weapons cache and hands Saxon a rusty sword. :Upon reaching Lockhaven the three mice witness Midnight's army invading the city. For lack of a better plan, Saxon recklessly suggests taking on the army, slaughtering their leader and rescuing Lieam. Kenzie stops him from carrying out such a suicidal plan and Celanawe leads through a secret passage to Gwendolyn's office. As they take Midnight by surprise, Saxon aids the guard mice in slaying the remnants of the Axe Guard. :After Midnight is defeated and captured, Saxon and Lieam hold him at swordpoint, leading the traitor beyond the scent borders, banished from the Mouse Territories. Winter shortages of 1152 :On a particularly cold winter, Saxon journies with Lieam, Kenzie, Sadie and Celanawe to get some elixir from Sprucetuck. Saxon is concerned about Lieam making his own choices instead of following Kenzie's instructions. The group is soon faced with a great-horned owl, but Sadie manages to pelt one of its eyes. Saxon is disappointed he didn't get to tackle it himself. :On the way back to Lockhaven, Saxon trips on a root causing the ground to give way and plunge him, Kenzie and Sadie down into a tunnel leading into Darkheather. Lieam and Celanawe make their own way to Lockhaven. At the Darkheather city entrance, Saxon recklessly attacks a couple of weasel guards, which turn out to be statues, breaking his sword in the process. While Saxon is in denial about arguing a lot, a swarm of bats is awakened. Saxon shows prejudice towards the bats, angering them into attack the three mice. Saxon jumps on one of the bats and forces it to fly him to an exit, holding the broken sword at its neck. With the bats unwillingly to aid him, Saxon fatally stabs the bat he is holding on and they both fall down a pit full of mouse bones. :Finding a jar of oil, Saxon uses a piece of his cloak and a bone to make a torch and soaks it in the oil. Striking the broken sword against the stone wall, he lights the makeshift torch and begins to explore the chamber, which is full of mouse skeletons, which died as prisoners of the weasels. Near an alcove, Saxon stumbles upon a skeleton with a sword, he recognizes as Master Loukas'. Saxon hugs the remains of his old master and weeps for his loss. :After taking the sword the cloak pin with him, Saxon reunites with Kenzie and Sadie. Still moody, he implies they were too busy snuggling to look for him. After some more exploring, the trio find an underground river. Taking Sadie's instructions to find anything that floats, he gets a bucket, which wobbles in the water. Saxon navigates using a compass hidden on the hilt of the sword. In the darkness, he sees the body of Abigail. He also spots the broken cistern leading to the well shaft straight into Lockhaven. Some guardmice hoist the trio up, but their friends Lieam and Celanawe have not arrived. Engagement to Gwendolyn :Kenzie requests Isabel to escort them on hareback to find and rescue Lieam and Celanawe. They find the one-eyed owl dead and follow a trail of footprints, where a half-frozen Lieam is unconscious and Celanawe has died from the owl's talons. They return to Lockhaven. Saxon hides the Black Axe from the curious mice. :Later Saxon attends Celanawe's funeral. After the cremation of Celanawe's body, Saxon approaches Gwendolyn, tells her a bit about what he's been through and shares a kiss with her. Characteristics and personality Saxon's loyalty to Lockhaven and Lady Gwendolyn is almost unmatched, that he will do what must be done to protect his home city and fellow guard mice. However he tends be irrational and reckless at times. Often he is the first to pick a fight with a predator or other creatures and he is willing to battle even when outnumbered, that Kenzie has to talk some sense into him. Sometimes he can be quarrelsome among his companions, particularly when situations look bad. Most of his fighting skills were taught to him by Master Loukas and his weapon of choice is a broadsword. Source Category:Male Category:Guardmice Category:Fall 1152 Characters Category:Winter 1152 Characters Category:Characters Category:Spring 1153 Characters Category:Mouse Characters